Viva Murillo!

In the NFL there are four weeks left to finalize playoff spots and division titles. In your league, there's probably just one game remaining. If you need a win to secure a post-season spot, you have a lot of forgetting to do this week.

Yes, forgetting. You need to forget where your players were drafted. You need to forget about the time you got burned in week 4 due to a fluke injury or dropped pass, and you need to forget about the losing streak that put you into a must-win situation. And if you've had a recent winning streak to resurrect your season you should forget that, too. None of it matters now.

All that matters is winning this one game so you can do it again next week, and your memory can actually hurt your cause. It's easy to over-weight previous bad (or good) performances, or default to going with a designated "starter" over a player with better potential this weekend. But it's important to give every player fair consideration whether they've started for you all year or were picked up on the waiver wire last week. Nobody should be entitled to an automatic roster spot.

If the league website allows it, I actually clear every player from my starting lineup. Staring at a blank slate, I then choose which players will fill those spots. I feel like that allows me to be more objective when picking my starters. You don't have to do it that way, of course. But when the chips are down, there's no room for tenure in your starting lineup.

I know there's a (grammatically-embarrassing) phrase about dancing with the one who brung ya, or something similar. If they got you this far, why abandon them now? Well, I'd like to know just where they've brought you so far. To the bubble? To an 8-5 or a 7-6 record? What kind of special consideration does that earn?

In my eyes, none. You're not cruising into the playoffs with a bye. You're not dominating your opponents with an eye toward week 15. You've stumbled your way into contention. That's better than some, but not as good as others. If you're going to get over the hump and reach the playoffs, you'll do it by starting the best options in week 14, no matter who they are.

Now, I'm not encouraging you to start throwing up virtual Hail Marys and bench all your best players in an effort to be a contrarian. If you have Adrian Peterson on your team, he's likely to start for you Sunday. I just think that you need to start your best options for week 14 without worrying about benching a starter or defying conventional wisdom. Nobody runs your team but you, and in a must-win situation your team needs leadership. Win or lose, provide that leadership this week. Good luck.

How do you approach must-win games? Share your secrets below.

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